With the coming of the age of globalization, there are more and more opportunities for people throughout the world to communicate. Therefore, an increasing number of people are eager to learn foreign languages. It is very important for people to catch on to what others say as well as to be understood by others during conversations in a foreign language. Hence, it is crucial to enhance a learner's listening and speaking abilities with present foreign language teaching systems.
With the listening skill, a learner focuses on listening comprehension, i.e. clearly listening to others and negotiating meaning. Therefore, language training on listening comprehension requires one to find as much opportunity as possible to in listen to people talking in a foreign language, so that one is able to become familiar with tones, speeds and intonation of the foreign language. Consequently, one is capable of enhancing his/her language “listening” ability through clearly appreciating people talking in a foreign language.
With the speaking skill, a learner focuses on pronunciation of a foreign language by way of constant vocal imitation practices that enable one to speak accurately and correctly and to be understood. Similarly, to develop speaking ability, one repeatedly imitates and practices tones, speeds and intonation of the foreign language.
Excepting for basic listening and speaking learning skills of a foreign language, it is important that we do not limit ourselves to some sorts of subjects or aspects in learning a foreign language, as this does not prepare learners to utilize the language in real-life situations. Therefore, we have to learn a foreign language with full-scale subjects. Only through repeatedly training in all kinds of subjects can learners practically master a foreign language. This enables us to deepen our learning, have advanced comprehension of the content, and master a foreign language through repeatedly listening to and speaking the language.
Conventional language training on listening and speaking hardly enables learners to have actual opportunities to keep in practice, excepting for one-to-one teaching with a teacher and a learner. However, even on one-to-one teaching, a learner spends too much time with constant and repetitive practices. This is ineffective and may make a learner fear being embarrassed, which reduces the teaching effect. Therefore, language listening and speaking teaching via computer technology has become a trend in learning a foreign language, and there are many similar learning products on the market. However, those learning products generally achieve the training objectives of listening and speaking by established spoon-feed training ways, i.e., providing given tests in sequence through several simple word prompts in combination with monotone sound. Such tedious learning methods reduce a learner's willingness to learn, and limit the learning subjects, which further frustrates a learner.